SAN DIEGO — Bryce Harper hit his National League-leading 13th home run and Jordan Zimmermann and A.J. Cole combined on a seven-hitter to lead the Washington Nationals to a 10-0 victory against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
Harper matched the home run total for his entire injury-plagued 2014 season, when he played 100 games. His 13 home runs this year have come in 37 games.
Zimmermann (3-2) struck out six and allowed six singles in six innings to win his fourth straight start. He improved to 3-1 in five starts at Petco Park. Zimmermann allowed three consecutive singles opening the fifth before retiring the side to preserve the shutout.
Cole, recalled earlier from Triple-A Syracuse, allowed one single in three innings of relief to earn his first save.
The Nationals had a season-high 16 hits in winning for the 13th time in 17 games.
The Padres were shut out for the fourth time in 11 games and the sixth time this season.
Harper paused for a moment to admire his high, arcing shot off reliever Shawn Kelley into the Jack Daniel’s party deck atop the right field wall in the fourth that give the Nationals an 8-0 lead. It was the second homer in five games on this trip for Harper, who hit six home runs at home last week.
Harper, who had three hits, also had a hand in roughing up Padres starter Odrisamer Despaigne (2-2), who allowed seven runs and 10 hits in three innings.
The Nationals opened with four consecutive singles off Despaigne, including Harper’s RBI single. Ryan Zimmerman drew a bases-loaded walk, another run came in when Wilson Ramos hit into a double play and Ian Desmond hit an RBI single.
The Nationals had five consecutive hits opening the third. Desmond hit an RBI single and Danny Espinosa drove in two runs before being thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Zimmermann doubled to left before Despaigne got the final two outs.
Despaigne has allowed 15 runs in eight innings in his last two starts.
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